Kettle Fest 2014

This July 9-13 come join Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance for 5 days of riding and camping at Kettle Crest! Enjoy some of Washington’s best singletrack in a remote, alpine setting. In an annual tradition, riders from all across the region including Seattle, Spokane, Boise and B.C. converge to hang out, experience awesome trails and give back to area with a day devoted to trail work. Most of the rides have a healthy dose of climbing but there are lots of great ride options so come join us for another awesome year at Kettle Crest!

Directions: In between the small towns of Republic and Kettle Falls, less than 2 miles East of Sherman Pass on Highway 20. Turn off the highway North on Albian Hill Rd #2030. Follow the road for .6 miles to the sign at the edge of the gravel pit. From there stay left and go .2 miles to the campsite area. The campground provides a single bathroom, fire pits, and tables. Water is accessible from a creek but requires treatment. For more info contact peter at evergreeneast.org

Note: Rides start around 10am so you’ll want to be there by 9:30am if you’re showing up in the morning.

The ride starts off with an easy climb up to the Kettle Crest trail. Once on the Kettle Crest the trail opens up with amazing views while gaining and losing elevation in small spurts. For riders who want to continue with the hard option, we will then ride down Stickpin: a fun descent which we did trail work on last year. From the bottom of Stickpin it’s a steep climb up Ryan’s Cabin to connect back onto the Kettle Crest and head back to the starting point.

Relaxing after climbing up Old Stage to connect with the Kettle Crest trail.

For the “easier” ride we shuttle up to Deer Creek Summit and start on the very northern end of the Kettle Crest trail. The ride starts off with a 1000ft climb through a lush forest and then drops quickly to the turnoff for Taylor Ridge. The trail is somewhat primitive in spots but there is plenty of downhill towards the end to give riders a happy ending. For those who are uber-masochistic, there will be an option to ride from the campground, climb up to the Kettle Crest and continue north about 26 miles along the Crest to the turnoff for Taylor Ridge.

dropping back down on the Kettle Crest trail after the first climb

Heading down one of the many descents on Taylor Ridge

After finishing, most riders opt to cool down by going for a swim in the Kettle River

Friday July 11: Work Party

Every year we work with the Forest Service to give back to the trails by devoting a day to trail work. It’s always good to come back the next year and see all the work that was accomplished the previous year. After the work party we usually head into town to enjoy good food and beer. This year we will be heading to the Republic Brewing Company!

For the easy and medium options we shuttle up to the top of Sherman Pass and start up the Kettle Crest trail. The hard option starts from the campground with about 1300ft of climbing to get up to Sherman Pass. After climbing on the Kettle Crest there is an optional detour to Columbia Mountain which has an awesome 360 degree view. For the easy option, riders can turn around after Columbia Mountain and descend all the way back to the campground. Otherwise, riders will continue climbing and descending along the Kettle Crest until the top of Jungle Hill where the payoff awaits….

For the easier ride we will shuttle up to Sherman pass to begin the ride on the Kettle Crest South trail. The trail climbs up and around Sherman Peak and then continues south to Snow Peak Cabin, a cool spot for lunch. From Snow Peak Cabin most riders choose to head back to Sherman Pass and then down the Sherman Tie Trail for another great descent to the campground. For those riders who are looking for a longer ride, there is an option to continue South from Snow Peak Cabin and climb up to the junction at Barnaby Buttes and then up to White Mountain before turning around.